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Remember me telling you about piano duets and the such? Well... the score is out now, and so is the recording (and the videos, and everything).

Presenting Piano StoriesFor Piano, 4 hands.

The score, in 40 pages, features 7 piano duets, for various difficult levels, but looking at more advanced techniques this time, unlike Sketch Music. Still it's once again illustrated by wonderful Piero Pierini, who, once more, did a great job (the cut off illustration is part of the score, above).

The music lasts a total of less than 16 minutes, so there's plenty to do, say, teach, show, appreciate, and enjoy. In a style that's mostly tonal, with a few twists, I think that this is as catchy as I can go in terms of 'classical music'!

You can grab the score from the Editions Musica Ferrum webpage, but you can also get a bundle of 2 copies (since it's a duet, right?) with the second copy 66% off Over Here. In both links you will be able to preview multiple pages of the score.

The reasons I'm not currently offering all the movements/works through youtube are more than one. First of it's a huge load of work to be making these videos (especially since I'm the one making them), but also because the recording is up for sale in CDBaby, in digital distribution. So if you wish to pre-listen excerpts of all 7 movements/works, do follow This Link and have a go...

And here's your chance to see me in action, even if not solo... I'm tall, aren't I?

Shipping would be less than 6$ (5.90something) for a single copy, and almost 8$ for two copies.

Thanks for enjoying the performances. It took us well over two months of rehearsals to get to that level (and we still could use some more work... and getting used to that particular Steinway, and getting videotaped)...

Sorry for the double post but I should mention something that I totally forgot, while it is important I think...

Since this a duet, I figured that people might have issues in practising at home alone. So along with my piano partner, Myrto Akrivou (the one in the videos), we went in my studio and recorded solo all our parts.

So if you go to here: http://ps.musica-ferrum.com and just enter your email (which I would never use to harm anyone, or share with anyone of course), you'll log into a special page, where all the parts, solo, etc, can be found, and downloaded for practice reasons.

It would make sense to actually hold the score in order to use this service, but in any case you here, being in PianoWorld and all that, are free to walk in there and grab the files... Do note that the files were digitally recorded, so the sound is not as realistic as in the videos. It would be very difficult to do this in a real acoustic piano...

Hi NikolasFrom scale of 1 to 10 (1 is young beginner and 10 is playing The Cat and Mouse by Aaron Copland), which number would you rate this set of duet?I am asking because I want to know if I can pick this for CM test and which level it would be. Thanks

Each work has some easy parts and some more difficult parts and I'll break them down with an attempt to provide a number to your scale... You also need to remember that as a duet the parts might be of different difficulty level. Also keep in mind that my grading will be focused mostly on technical elements rather than musical ones... So I'm taking for granted that if someone can play the parts, then they will also have the musicality required.

1. If only he was carefreeSecondo: Level 3-4. Nothing too serious going on, with plenty of repeated patterns.Primo: Level 4-5, melody that's in unison most of the time, BUT there are a few 16th notes in thirds, chromatically, which could prove a little more difficult, but again they are repeated. I'd say that there's only one bar to be a bit more problematic.

2. A rather innocent IncubusSecondo: Level 2-3. Just the bass and basic chords pretty much. The ending is quarter notes.Primo: Level 3-4. It's got octaves, but nothing else to create an issue

3. How to live in an underground homeSecondo: Level 4-5. Off beat staff, chords in difficult octaves, some melodic elements. Not too tricky I'd say but still...Primo: Level 4-5. Melodic stuff, some fast triplets 16th notes passages that could need some work, but we're talking about single bars here. Trills and mordents.

4. The sparrow and a rainbowSecondo: Level 5-6. Probably tricky one, because of the semi-fast 16th notes that need careful planning in the right hand.Primo: Level 5-6. 7ptets in there, but make total sense. 5plets are more difficult to combine with the other pianist, but work well I think. Melodies in the left hand, with trills on the left.

5. Building light momentumSecondo: Level 6-. One of the most tricky works. Fast paced, great rhythmic accuracy required, fast passages at hand...Primo: Level 6-. Same as above

6. Meteor fightSecondo: Level 7-8. The most difficult work from the set. The whole thing is based on syncopaded chords in the right hand, while the middle part of this work reminds of Ligeti in the right hand, with a very fast ostinato in the left.Primo: Level 7-8. ditto as above, thick chords, great timing required, a 2 bar passage that needs big hands and fast fingers and 5plets all the way...

This is the most difficult work from the set by far.

7. An unfortunate dialogue, a fair dialogueSecondo: Level 3-4. Just chords in regular time intervals. NOTHING else going on here.Primo: Level 6-7. Plenty going on. In fact each pianist have their own title (this is why I put two titles above), and different instructions. The secondo just stays apathetic from anything, while the primo goes overboard with reactions and stuff, with plenty of complicated stuff, basically for the right hand alone...

I don't know if the above help. You can browse some of the pages here: http://www.musica-ferrum.com/catalog/viewitem.php?show=47 (if you click on 'preview' of course) so you should get a better idea of the scores. Also you can log in, with your email (you have to give your email for that, sorry) and get the solo parts, to listen more closely what's going on...

I am asking because I want to know if I can pick this for CM test and which level it would be.

You can basically use any duet for CM. Since there are no duets listed in the CM Syllabus (maybe except for a few sets written for Friends of Today's Music), no evaluator will go out of his/her way to flunk your students for playing duet pieces that are too easy. Unless, of course, they are blatantly below the students' CM level (level-8 students playing level-3 pieces). You also have to realize that ensemble music might look easy, but playing together will require a lot more musicianship and ability.

You should keep in mind that I'm no nothing of an official speaker for any kind of level/grade system. So my comments may be a bit off. I doubt they are hugely off, but...

In any case, you have the recordings, and preview of the pages, and parts of the score. I'd think that it'd be enough for you...

but since these are new pieces it would be good if you could hand a copy to the judges in the exams. Considering that you should need two copies (one for each pianist) while performing the second copy could be in the hands of the judge.

I'm bumping this just in case piano teachers don't follow/visit the general PianoWorld forum...

This work (Piano Stories) won the 1st prize in the Second International Composition Competition.

For more check out the following press release:

Quote:

Greek Composer Nikolaos Sideris has won first prize in the 2nd International Composition Competition: "Artistes en Hebre". Supported by the Luxembourg Ministry of Culture, this prestigious competition attracted more than 220 entries from 17 countries.

The prolific composer won the Competition with "Piano Stories" - a piano work for four hands already published by Musica Ferrum, a publishing house which focuses on contemporary concert hall repertoire. The score is available worldwide in select music stores, as well as on Musica Ferrum's online platform.

Piano Stories will be performed in a Gala Concert, following the award ceremony, organized in collaboration with the Conservatory of Luxembourg City.

Nikolaos Sideris has also been invited to join the judging committee for the 2015 Artistes en Hebre Competition.

And because this was the perfect opportunity to share the whole work in youtube, here's a single video with all the movements in:

Thanks Minniemay! Much obliged! I hope the score will reach you soon! And I really hope that you will enjoy going through its 40 pages! I know that there's one (1) thing that I'd like to change, but apart from that I think that the score is great...

If I were you I'd give a sample page or two from the score. Give maybe the first page, and then one that you think is one of the best in the work. You can post PDFs on your website and/or here on PW. That might improve your sales a lot.